BBC presenter Victoria Coren made a lighthearted admission about her friendship with Claudia Winkleman during the latest episode of Only Connect. The show returned on Monday, July 20, 2026, with Coren hosting as two teams competed to find connections between seemingly unrelated clues.
Fingerless Gloves Connection
In the first round of sequences, contestants were tasked with identifying what ties together fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, weightlifters, television personality Claudia Winkleman, and the character Fagin from Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist. One contestant correctly guessed "fingerless gloves" during a bonus opportunity.
Coren explained that Lagerfeld disliked the look of his hands, while weightlifters wear fingerless gloves for grip. She then added: "Claudia Winkleman, fashion icon, everybody wants to wear what she wears. It's fingerless gloves on The Traitors and Fagin on the end."
Coren's Friendship with Winkleman
The host then shared details of her personal relationship with the former Strictly Come Dancing host. "As someone who's had lunch with Claudia Winkleman on many occasions, I'd say there are lots of connections between her and Fagin," Coren joked, prompting laughter from the teams.
However, she quickly backtracked, saying: "That's so unfair, she's actually very quick to pick up the bill, I should say that." The comment highlighted the friendly banter between the two BBC personalities.
Show Background
Only Connect is a BBC quiz show where teams compete to find links between clues. The episode aired on July 20, 2026, and featured the fingerless gloves clue as part of its first round. Coren has hosted the show since its inception in 2008.
